Tsubasa no Kami and Phoenix Guardian
by ChristinaLarsson
Summary: A girl is brought to Gaea and must use her powers to save it, Earth and Senik. First fic, slight MarySue, but it all gets back to 'norm' later. UPDATE: Ch. 7 up & I changed some of the old chapters for continuity.
1. Strange Visions

A/N: This is a fanfic I had started before I had the idea of founding WhiteMagick Studios. I don't mean to sound immodest, but it was my idea. I was just lucky Van and Sorakh agreed.

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne, Van or any other other characters related to the story except the new ones mentioned here. I am not getting rich off of this, so don't sue me.

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A girl with a blue knee-high skirt and black strap top stood on the bleachers. She also had a transparent blue shirt with only one button that fastened at the area of her collarbone. Her brown hair stopped just below her ears. Her name was Christina, and the bleacher she was on was facing a soccer field. Christina watched the runners on the soccer field. She missed being on the team, though she wouldn't admit it. She just wanted to fade away. She couldn't see any reason for being. What did she have to live for, even if she hadn't dropped out? No boyfriend, no career choice, nothing. The most she had was her friend, Mélanie. She plopped down on the bleachers and sat facing away from the field, so that she was facing the length of the board she was on. She took out her Tarot cards, and dealt them out in Celtic cross fashion. This was her favourite draw, and the most precise, since it required many cards to be drawn. When she was done, it looked something like this:  
  
--3  
--1---10  
5 2 6--9  
--1-----8  
--4-----7  
  
1.Her in the current situation  
2.(lain horizontally on no.1)Positive forces helping or  
obstacles blocking  
3.Message from her higher self  
4.Preoccupations of her subconscious  
5.Past events influencing the now  
6.State of relationship with others  
7.Psychological state  
8.Unseen forces influencing situation  
9.Hopes and/or fears  
10.Outcome of the matter  
  
_The Magician reversed: Deception, loss of direction, dampened senses. That sounds like me, all right._  
  
Not really in the mood to find out more bad news, Christina put her cards back in their box and put the box in her book bag. She looked up at the sky, and saw the full moon. A rare sight for mid-afternoon. Then, she thought she saw something else near the moon. It looked like a replica of earth. But as suddenly as it had come, it disappeared. Strange.  
"Hey, Chris!"  
She turned, and saw Mélanie running towards her.  
"Hey, Mel."  
"Why are you always being so glum? Cheer up, will ya?"  
Christina looked at her friend. Always so positive, so optimistic. She then looked down her own front to look at the heart-shaped locket she had. She had had it since she was little, but she couldn't remember where she got it. Her parents and any other relatives she asked swore they hadn't given it to her. She couldn't even open it. Sometimes, late at night, she had visions of herself as a little kid, along with a boy her age. The boy had messy dark hair, and was wearing a red tank top with off-white shorts. There was another one, but older, with blue-grey hair. He looked about the age she was now. Sometimes, random thoughts accompanied these visions. When she would see the two boys together, the word brother came to mind. There was also a beautiful woman whom she assumed to be the boys' mother. Long blonde hair, with an angelic air of grace and gentleness. Once, she saw herself with a needle in her arm, and a red fluid flowing through a tube connected to the needle. And there was one where she was in a bed with the pretty woman sitting on the side of the bed, and Christina had the distinct feeling of pain. Her back ached horribly; there was wetness on her face. She was crying. Then suddenly, the pain was gone, and the pretty woman's face was full of shock. Nothing after that. The only other thing she remembered was a song. A sweet, enchanting song that the pretty woman would sing to help her fall asleep. A song in a strange language she couldn't understand.  
"Hey, Chris! Stop wool gathering, will ya? I said I have something to tell you."  
"Huh? Oh, sorry, Mel. I was just thinking."  
"What about? How you miss being on the soccer team but won't admit it?"  
"That's not true." She did miss it, but she wouldn't tell anyone. Not even Mel.  
"What did you want to tell me?"  
"Something I saw on the Internet. There was a new planet discovered."  
"I thought I had already told you that."  
"No, not on the other end of the solar system near Pluto. It's between Earth and Mars. And it's inhabited, too. They're trying to design a new spacecraft so that they can go meet the inhabitants. They decided to call it Gaea, since it looks a lot like earth, but not the same geographical formations. You did know that Gaea is another name for Earth, right?"  
"Whatever. If they find little green men like what people thought was on Mars, the press are gonna have a field day. Who's working on it?"  
"Well, Canada, Japan, China, Russia and France are working together to make one that should be ready to have a crew complement of 5, one person from each country, in two years. But the U.S. and England are trying to get one done for next year."  
"Wow. Just like with the attack on Iraq. U.S. and England hand in hand, and the rest say bad idea. Except this time it's a race."  
"Yeah, something like that. Wanna go for a milkshake or something?"  
"Yeah, okay. How about we go walk in the woods after? I feel like getting away from traffic for a bit."  
"Sure."  
A little later, a vanilla milkshake in Christina's hands and a chocolate in Mélanie's, the two girls were walking in the woods that separated their school's area from the maintenance yard where school buses were brought for repairs and check-ups. The woods were peaceful, and there was a certain clearing where there was a kind of carpet of soft green moss covering the entire area of the clearing. They sat down on the carpet, sipping their milkshakes.  
"Christina, what were you thinking of awhile ago?"  
"Something that happened when I was little, but can't really remember completely."  
"A traumatising thing?"  
"No. Not really, anyway. There were two boys. One my age, and the other one who was as old as I am now. And a woman. A woman who looked like a goddess. I think she was their mother. And she would sing a song to help me fall asleep."  
"How much of the song can you remember?"  
"Not much. Which makes sense since it was a long time ago, and it's in a strange language. It doesn't matter, anyway."  
"Chris, you're always being so distant."  
"Yep."  
"Chris!"  
"What?"  
"Your locket!"  
Christina looked down. The tiny pink stone in the middle was glowing brightly. Then, a bright cylinder of white light surrounded the clearing, enveloping her and Mélanie. The clearing disappeared from sight, and then Christina saw images flash in her mind. A girl with shorter hair than her own, in a kind of school uniform. The girl disappeared. She then saw a bright light, pure energy, it seemed, split in two, and entered two separate babies. Then the two babies changed: one was herself, the other was the girl in uniform. Then she saw the girl crossing a street, a car skid out of control. The girl was hit. The light came out of her, then, and she saw herself again. The light entered her body. It was like one soul split and then came back together when the other girl died. Christina saw the boy with black hair, but he was older. He was hugging the schoolgirl, who was alive in this vision. He had the same kind of shirt, but long pants instead of shorts. Then he was in the air. He was wearing no shirt, but had white wings out and was carrying the other girl's body. He was crying, hard. She saw his brother, also with no shirt but with black wings and a metal arm. His hair was now totally grey. He slashed an old man, struck again, but hit something other than the man. Something hard that broke the sword and sent a piece in his direction. He was wounded. She saw him lying on the floor, a pool of blood around him. Then she knew sweet nothingness.  
  
Van Fanel sat on the grass at the edge of a lake. The reconstruction of Fanelia was almost finished. As he watched the sun's reflection on the lake, something brighter appeared. A cylinder of light. He jumped up, hopefully.  
_Hitomi!_ He thought, _No, Hitomi's dead. But, who could this be?_  
Suddenly childhood images flashed through his mind. His brother and himself playing with a girl his age. A girl with shoulder-length, chestnut hair. A girl landed in the water in front of him, and once she realised she was in water, she swam for shore. Another girl appeared in the middle of the lake, but she didn't seem to realise where she was. She simply sank.  
"Christina!!!" the first girl yelled.  
Van swam out to where the girl had disappeared. He took a deep breath, and dove. There was ample light under water, but he couldn't see the girl. How far had she sunk? Then, he saw her figure struggling futily to get to the surface, but she didn't have enough air to do so. He swam to her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to the surface. They both took a deep breath when they broke the water's surface, but the girl was so weak she very nearly fell under again. Van managed to keep her head afloat, and brought her to shore. The girl lay down on the grass and started taking deep, heavy breaths.  
"Mel... bag... inhaler..."  
The first girl looked around, and stopped her gaze on a black bag. She ran towards it, and brought it to the half-drowned girl, who started digging through its pockets to pull out a thick turquoise disc-type thing. She put her thumb in a curve which interrupted the circle of it, and pushed it around till a kind of mouthpiece emerged. There was a small click, and the girl put the mouthpiece in her mouth. She pulled back a trigger, and took a deep breath from the little object. A few minutes later, she was breathing better. Van was confused, but the girl looked almost exactly like the small child in the mini-vision he had had.  
"Would you two please tell me who you are?"


	2. Chemistry brewing between people

**A/N: Hooray! I already got a review!**

**Shingujisakurachan: Sorry for the confusion about having accidentally posted the first chapter twice. Problem is fixed now. And thanks for becoming a reader!**

Christina first became aware of the boy, looked at him, and gasped. The boy from her dreams.

Her first thought was _Oh My God._ Her second one was, _He's Hot._ Her third one was, _I'd Better Answer Or He'll Think I'm a baka._

"My name is Christina, this is my friend, Mélanie. And you are?"

"I am called Van. I am king of this country: Fanelia."

"Uh... I'm in the presence of royalty?"

"Well, yes."

Christina felt so embarrassed. Royalty, and she hadn't even tried to be respectful. She got up, and bowed before him.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. You'll be my guests for as long as necessary."

"Necessary?" Mel said hesitantly

"Well, until we can send you back to the Mystic Moon. That is where you're from, right?"

"Actually, we're from Earth. What planet is this?"

"Well, we call it Gaea. For some reason, no one on earth can see it."

"Uh, actually, it was discovered recently. And people are trying to build a spaceship to get here and visit to see what species inhabit it. New ones, or ones we find on earth. That kind of thing."

"Well, you'll find a bit of both. There are humans, of course. But there are also creatures called cat-people. They're like humans, but they have fur, tails, fangs, and their ears are placed at the same place as humans, but they're made differently. And they have claws."

Christina did not want to be left out of the conversation.

"I have two cats at home, but they're not like that. They walk on four paws, and their ears are on top of their heads. And they're small enough to pick up. They don't talk or anything, but they have their own ways of telling me things. If I'm petting them and they like it, they purr. If they prefer to be left alone, they start moving their tail. If they come to me for attention, they'll stroke themselves against my leg. My cats are pretty affectionate, but one of them just hates being picked up. So I tend to just pet her as she passes by, or if she's lying down somewhere. I talk too much, don't I?"

"No, I find it interesting. What are their names?"

"Griselle is the one who hates being picked up, and Mistigrette tolerates it."

"Um, can we go dry off? I'm starting to feel cold."

Christina and Van turned towards Mélanie

"Sorry, Mel. I guess I got carried away."

"I can get you some clothes to wear while these ones dry up. There was another girl from the Mystic Moon who used to visit and I had some clothes from here put away for her so that she wouldn't stand out. They look like they'd be a perfect fit for you, Christina. But your friend is a bit short. They might be too big for her."

"Um, as previously stated, we are from Earth." Christina wondered why Van had forgotten that.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. The Mystic Moon is what we call Earth."

"Oh." Christina blushed.

_Keyword: king. Be nice._

"Oh, that's okay your majesty. I don't mind." Mel seemed to be rather taken by Van, but Christina felt something more.

Being with him made her feel so comfortable. Like she had before.

_I've been with him before. That's why. But there's something else. It's like there's a bond between us. But how? I haven't seen him since I was a little girl. Why do I feel this way?_

The three kept silent on their way to the castle.

Van was right. The clothes were a perfect fit. Almost like they were made for her. It was a beautiful dress. A lavender purple with sky blue pleats and a matching blue sash. The dress was a backless. Christina felt almost like she was royalty herself. But she quickly shook the idea out of her head. She left the room, which Van had arranged for her, to see Mélanie coming out of hers.

"I knew they would be too big, but this is ridiculous."

Mel's dress, white with pink pleats and sash, was long enough that Mélanie could sweep the floor just by walking.

"Here. Use the sash to tie it up higher, like a belt."

Christina helped Mélanie to tuck some of the skirt of the dress up under the waist part, and tied it tightly with the sash. She looked a little big, and she still had to hold up the hem a bit, but at least it wasn't sweeping the floor much anymore.

"Van said to go to his study after we were done."

"And, where is that?"

"Let's try this way. If we get lost, we can ask for directions."

Somehow, Christina was able to direct them straight to the study. Obviously, her subconscious had the 'map' of the castle from when she was little.

She knocked, a little toc-toc-toc on the door, and a voice from inside said:  
"Come in."

Christina and Mélanie walked in. Van was sitting in a squashy armchair near a roaring fire.

"Please, sit down."

He indicated two other armchairs near the fire, so that the three of them surrounded it. The girls sat down, and Van closed an old-looking book he was reading.

"There's going to be a royal gathering in Asturia next week, and I can't leave you alone here, because I'm the only one who knows where you're from, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with the secret except for friends of mine who knew the girl who would come here, but they're all in Asturia as well. However, there's a boy my age who arrived on Gaea a few months ago, and I would trust him with my life. I've told him the whole story, and he could go in with one of you, while I'm with the other. His name is Elijah. He's not from the Mystic Moon, but from another planet we have been having trade agreements with for a little while. It's the last planet in the solar system. They have amazing technology that keeps them alive in the extreme conditions. Anyway, what do you think of the plan?"

"I think it works," said Christina. "but why can't we just be your guests?"

"Because everyone except the people who know me well will think you're both my mistresses. That would be harmful for your reputations, since you would be seen as whores. I'd be okay, because it's apparently okay for a leader to have as many mistresses as he likes. But if it seems like you two are whores, Gecko men might try to get a hold of you. As mistresses, your freedom doesn't account as much as other peoples. They kidnap girls and women to be sold as sex-slaves. But if it doesn't look like you're my mistresses, rather than one being a potential fiancé, they'll know not to touch you. How does it sound, now?"

"Like the best plan we've got." Christina sighed. "But what if we draw attention to ourselves? Are there many girls here with short hair?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not that short, anyway. But I'm sure we'll think of something. Mélanie, Elijah is in the garden, so you can go meet him right away. I'll be with Christina. Just go straight down the hall till you find a staircase, and go straight down. That'll bring you to the entrance hall. Go behind the stairs, and you'll see the doors that lead to the garden. I have some other things to discuss with Christina."

Mélanie left, and Van turned towards Christina.

"I handed you the backless dress for a reason, which I'll explain in a moment. But first, I need to ask: Do you remember coming here when you were little?"

"Just bits of images. Not much."

"Do you remember having a sore back?"

"Yep. That was awful."

"Do you remember having an injury before that, which you received when you first arrived?"

"No, but I remember having a needle in my arm, and something red was in a tube connected to the needle. It might have been blood. A transfusion, maybe?"

"Exactly. Your arm was broken, and the bone had broken right through, rupturing several arteries. You had a very rare blood type. AB-. However, both me and my brother had it. So they took some blood from me, a little more from my brother, since he was older, and made the transfusion as soon as your arm was sewn up. I know this because I've found my mother's journals, and they talk about you. A week after, your arm was healed, but the bone was still fractured. One day, your back started aching. You said you remember that. My mother would stay up and tried all known ways to stop the pain, but it kept coming back. One day, wings sprung from your back. Afterward, you didn't have any back pain. But you didn't know what had happened to stop it and my mother didn't tell you. Apparently, Folken knew as well. No one ever told me, probably because I was too young."

"Whoa, stop for a minute. Wings? Like an angel would have?"

"Yes. My mother was a Draconian, and she passed it on to me and my brother. By using our blood for the transfusion, you became a Draconian as well."

"Wha?"

"Now is the time to prove it. I handed you a backless, so that you could spread you wings without ripping your clothes. Give it a try."

Christina found it too ridiculous to believe, but she figured she could at least try. She got up, and stood in a part of the room where there was lots of space.

_How do I do this? Are the wings in my back? Okay, lets try jerking my shoulder blades back fast and hard._

She did so, and she felt as though something was released from her. A marvellous feeling. Like when you have your legs folded up during a long trip and you finally stretch them when you get out of the car. She looked down, and saw a few white feathers on the floor. She somehow managed to flap her wings. She gave a huge flap, and it felt wonderful. It felt exhilarating.

"See? You look wonderful, Christina. Like an angel, if I may borrow the term."

By this time, Van had walked around to be in front of her.

"Pull them back in, I want to show you something."

Christina hunched her shoulders, and the wings went back in. Feathers were all over the place.

"Don't worry. The whole kingdom knows I'm a Draconian. The servants will probably think they're mine."

Van led Christina out the main door, to a mountain. A grassy mountain with wild flowers. He led her halfway up, and after Christina had caught her breath, pulled off his shirt and spread his wings. Christina spread hers, Van took her hand, and helped her get into the air. They soared up high, and Christina felt pure ecstasy. Then, Van pulled her close to him, and kissed her. A soft, warm kiss. Christina felt high as the clouds, when they were only as high as the hill. This was what she was missing in life. The feeling of freedom, and love.

In the garden, Mélanie had found Elijah sitting on the edge of a fountain. He was staring at a kind of rose bush in front of him, but looked up as she approached.

Her immediate thought was: _Chris can keep Van, this guy is much better._

He had blue hair, and was cross-dressed. Which Mélanie simply loved. He had a tunic-type thing, but it looked almost like a mini-skirted dress. His pants were clinging to his form like leggings, and he had knee-high, black boots. He also had a white bow-cravat which descended to his chest. And his eyes were a rare blue which glittered like sapphires.

_He's so hot!_

"I'm Mélanie. Van said that we're supposed to be together for the royal gathering."

"I am Elijah Esteban Lowell. Daresay, I never expected to find such a beautiful girl in all the galaxy. The girls on my planet are okay, and I haven't seen enough of Gaea to judge the ones here, but it would seem the best place to find one would be the Mystic Moon."

He got up, took Mélanie's hand in his, and bent forward to kiss it. It took Mélanie an immense amount of control not to giggle.

"Thank you, Elijah. We'd better get to know each other to make sure we don't foul up when we arrive in Asturia."

"Excellent idea, Milady. But may I ask what your full name is?"

"Mélanie du Point du Lac."

_Oh...my...god. He's treating me like a princess. And he's hot. And a crossdresser to boot._

They talked, and talked, and talked for hours. Mélanie didn't seem to mind that now and then he would steal a glance down her dress. He was hand-talking, and accidentally brushed her bosom more than once. She didn't say a word, except when he asked her about herself.

"You know, Mélanie..."

"Oh, please. Call me Mel. All my friends do."

"Alright. Mel, I've never felt this comfortable with a girl before."

He slowly leaned towards her while he talked.

"And, I really enjoy your company. And I think I've fallen in love with you."

Here, her grabbed her from behind fast to pull her close. He kissed her passionately, with a hunger. She just let him be. Her head was spinning. She couldn't think straight. It was just her and Elijah in a mass of emotions. When he pulled away, their cheeks were flushed, and their eyes full of passion.

Somehow thinking at the same time that it was probably time for dinner, they got up and left for the castle.

_Poor Chris._ Mélanie thought._ I actually have a crush on my escort and he loves me. Hers will just be for show_


	3. Van's lullaby

**Shingujisakurachan: LOL. Your review is hilarious! Hitomi did worse. Hitomi slapped Van! Only Christina would need a veil. Mel's is a little past her shoulders. But I have something planned that Christina's short hair has to be noticed. At least by a certain blonde ditz who is getting her hopes up.**

They were back on the ground, and Van was kissing her while rubbing his hands all over her. He had always wanted to do this with Hitomi, but he didn't have the chance. Here was someone else he loved, and he wasn't going to miss the chance.

Christina was feeling a bunch of emotions she thought only possible for people in romance novels. Suddenly, it felt as though her brain clicked on, and she pushed Van slightly so that he wasn't kissing her anymore.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think we should be moving this quickly. If we do this now, we might not like each other as much later. I love you, Van, and I'd like this to last."

Van smiled.

"I understand."

Christina smiled back. They got up and started walking back down the mountain.

The two couples got back at about the same time. The sun had set, and supper was laid out in the dining hall. Christina had never tasted such wonderful food. Mélanie neither. They each sampled everything. The drink was wine, and while Mélanie took hers without hesitating, Christina was a little apprehensive.

She leaned towards Van, and asked:  
"This isn't very strong, is it? It's just that I never drank alcohol before."

"Oh, no. I never have very strong drinks served here. And it's not straight, there's water in it, too."

"Phew."

Christina drank her wine, which tasted a bit like soda pop. She felt slightly light-headed after the meal, but she could still walk straight. The boys left the girls at the doors to their rooms, and then Van walked down the right hall, while Elijah took the left. As soon as the boys were out of sight, Mélanie followed Christina into her room, and the two sat on the bed.

"Chris. You'll never believe what happened: I love Elijah and Elijah loves me. We even kissed."

"Well, same thing for me. Van kissed me, and I honestly thought I would die of happiness."

"Oh! Good. I was feeling bad cause I thought that for you two it was still only show."

"Nope."

Mel giggled, and got up.

"I better go to my own room, now. Night, Chris."

"Night, Mel."

_Thank God for that._

"Thank God for what, Mel?"

"I didn't say anything."

_Man._ thought Christina. _This is weird._

"Ohmygod!"

"What, Mel?"

"I heard you say something, but your lips didn't move!"

"What, are we telepathic?"

"Maybe. Maybe there's something about this place that brings out powers in people. Think something that's not easy to guess, and try to make me hear it."

_Elijah is butt-head nincompoop._

"He is not! Take that back!"

"Whoa! Mel! I was kidding! I just wanted to see if you'd hear it, remember?"

"Oh. Right. Isn't this cool? We can talk to each other telepathically!"

"Definitely. Well, good night. I wanna talk about this after some good shut-eye."

"'Night."

And Mel left closing the door behind her.

Christina opened the closet which Van had said was at her disposal, and found a white nightgown which buttoned up to her throat and went down to her ankles.

She undid the zipper that led to the top of the small of her back in the back, and let the dress drop to the floor. She also removed the lingerie, and put it all in a box Van had said was for laundry, then pulled on the nightgown, walked toward the bed, and slipped between the sheets.

She fell asleep relatively quickly, but woke up suddenly, because she thought she heard someone cry out. She got out of bed, and went out in the hall. Christina heard it again, coming from down the right hall, except she seemed to be hearing it with her mind, more than her ears. She walked quickly, stopping when she noticed guards in front of the very last door. They hadn't seen her. She turned back, tried to keep in mind the number of doors between her room and the guarded one and went to her room. Christina forced out her wings, ripping a hole in the back of the nightgown, opened the large window, and jumped. The wings acted like a parachute, stopping her from falling. Instinctively, she flew in the direction of Van's room, and when she stopped in front of what she hoped was the right one, she sighed in triumph. Trying her best to stay in the air without making to much noise, she silently opened the window, stood on the sill, retracted her wings, and stepped inside without a noise. Christina walked towards Van's bed, and sat on the side.

Van was still making sounds.

"Muh...Mother. Please...don't...don't cry. Mother."

Oh. She should have guessed.

_Poor Van. His parents must be dead. Why else would he be king? If his parents were still alive, they'd be ruling instead. The fact that's he's king must mean that they're both dead. _

Suddenly, the song his mother would sing simply came to mind, and she sang.

"Win dein a lotica  
En vai tu ri  
Si lo ta  
Fin dein a loluca  
En dragu a sei lein  
Vi fa ru leshtai am  
En riga lint..."

"Mother!" Van suddenly jumped forward and caught her in an embrace, and then cried in her shoulder.

"Shh, shh. It's okay. I'm here."

Christina felt a little guilty as she whispered this, but then Van fell asleep, and his breathing was more regular. She felt better now that she was able to make him feel better. She laid him on his pillows, tucked him in, and walked back to the window.

_Stupid guards. They didn't even notice there was a second voice in the room. They probably fell asleep. Imagine if I was an enemy here to assassinate Van?_

She stood on the window sill and spread her wings.

Van felt happy. His mother's spirit had visited him, sung to him. He opened his eyes for moment, in time to see a winged figure fly away from his window. Then he fell asleep.  
When he woke up the next day, and saw his window open, he was confused. Then he saw feathers around the window. Hadn't it been a dream? And how could a spirit leave feathers?

_Christina!_

He jumped out of bed, ran out of the room, waking the guards with the ruckus, and ran till he was in front of Christina's room.

He went in without knocking, but without making a sound.

Walking up to the bed, he could see the rip in her nightgown, exposing her back. Her window was open, too, and there were feathers around the bottom. His first thought was anger. How dare she impersonate his mother like that! But then he remembered. She had said she loved him. He was probably crying in his sleep, which woke her up. She did it to help him. Because she loved him. Such a kind girl, and creative, thinking of something like that.

_Wait. How did she know the song? _

He'd ask her later when she woke up. Van went back to his room to get dressed, and then went to his study to continue reading his mother's diaries.

When Christina woke up, she had totally forgotten the past night's events. She put on a new dress, white with a yellow sash and pleats, also backless, and went to the study.

She wanted to know more about Draconians, and the study was packed with books. Chances were she'd find something about them.

When she got to the study and saw Van, she suddenly remembered what she had done. She felt her cheeks turn hot. She felt so ashamed. She had pretended to be his mother. A tear ran down her face, which she wiped away quickly. She cleared her throat, and Van looked up from his book.

"Christina! Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked uncertainly, because of the tear.

"Very well. Thank you. Um, Van? I did something last night, and I feel really bad about it, so I think I should tell you."

"Pretending to be my mother? I already figured that out. A spirit wouldn't leave feathers, so I went to your room while you were still asleep, and I saw the rip in your nightgown."

"Van, you have to understand." A steady stream of tears began to decend her face. "I just wanted to make you feel better. You seemed so upset, thrashing around in your sleep... "

"It's okay, Christina." Van interrupted. He got up and wiped her tears. "The fact that you did that for me, proves that you care about me because you worried. The fact that you admitted it proves that you're loyal and honest. Those are rare qualities, and you have them all." he kissed her then, a full kiss on the mouth, tongue and all.

"Thank you, Van."

"But I do have one question: How did you know the song?"

"The first few nights I was here, I was too homesick to sleep. Your mom would sing to me to help me fall asleep."

­"Well, that explains it. I was still half asleep, though. Would you mind singing it again for me sometime?"

"That's a possibility."

"For now though, I should instruct you on how things are going to be in Asturia. We have to make sure that no one notices you're not from Gaea. Shall we begin your, uh, 'lessons'?"

"Bring 'em on."

The week passed fairly quickly, but somehow, Christina managed to learn enough to be inconspicuous during the stay in Asturia. Elijah was teaching Mélanie at the same time, because she had to pretend to be from his planet.

Mélanie was pacing her room back and forth. The day had arrived. They were going to a royal gathering. She was expected to behave like a princess before all of Asturia, and during a high-class party. Luckily, when it was just her, Christina, Elijah, Van and Van's friends, she could 'take off her royalty mask' and such.

During the week, when they weren't at 'princess lessons', Mel and Chris had gone through the wardrobe that had once belonged to Hitomi and chosen who would have which dresses so that Van could send the ones which Mel had picked to be altered to her size. Mélanie was looking out the window which overlooked all of Fanelia when Elijah walked up to her.

"Fanelia is beautiful, isn't it?" Mel said

"Yes, extremely. One would never find such beauty on my world. The natural state of the planet is too cold, since it's too far from the sun to get any real heat. It didn't used to be so far, though. No one knows what happened that changed the orbit. Anyway. I love coming here. It's almost like my sanctuary. Van is a most excellent host, and a great friend."

"Well, according to Christina, he's a great kisser, too."

"Oh, I knew about their little relationship. The first night, after we left you two at your rooms, Van gave signal for me to follow him. We went to his room and he told me about how he felt towards Christina, and it sounded as though he was describing a goddess. I told him how I felt towards you, and I probably gave the same impression."

Not thinking about what she was doing, Mel jumped around his shoulders and pressed her lips to his.

Christina was sitting in the garden, having a tour of it with the gardener, Misha, along with Merle, whom had been visiting some friends in one of the small villages found in the woods, named Adom. She would be returning there for while Van and the others were in Asturia. Christina hadn't told Merle about her relationship with Van, because she had immediately gotten the impression that Merle was infatuated with him, due to the way she jumped into his arms when she first arrived.

"This is an apple rose bush. The reddest roses of all the species. We have a pink kind, too, right here called cat-nose rose. Do pardon the expression, Merle."

"Why would I mind such a pretty flower having a cattish name?"

"Of course. These blue ones over here are called fickleberry roses, for they produce the sour fruit in the autumn. Sour if taken straight off the bush, that is, but it is used to make pies, juices, and all kinds of pastries which actually taste quite sweet. I know a juice recipe actually. Perhaps I could show you how when you return?"

"I'd like that, thank you. My grandmother was a really good gardener, so I thank you for giving me this tour."

"Oh, no problem at all my dear girl. An old woman like me loves showing people the ways of her skills."

"Christina, can I talk to you for a minute?" said Merle

"Uh..."

"Oh, you two girls go on and have fun. I'll just be tending the Icoberry bush further on in back."

And she left.

"Christina, you do realise that Misha guessed you're from the Mystic Moon, don't you?"  
"Well, how? Do I still stand out that much?"

"Not really, but Christina isn't a name found around on Gaea. She's really clever, plus she knew about Hitomi."

"Oh, shit. What am I supposed to do in Asturia? Use an alias? Hitomi is the girl that came here before, right?"

"You mean Van-sama didn't tell you about her?"

"Not really."

"Well, they fell in love near the end, but then they were seperated when Hitomi went to the Mystic Moon. She died two years ago. She got hit by something, I can't remember what it was. Something only found on the Mystic Moon. People use them to get around, I think."

"A car?"

"Yeah! That's it!"

"Poor Van. He lost his parents, his mentor, his brother, and the woman he loved."

"He tries to lead a happy life anyway. And having a new girlfriend helps matters."

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. I see the way you look at each other. I don't really like it, But I'm willing to tolerate it, for Van's sake."

"Hey, there!" Christina turned to see Elijah and Mel standing on the steps leading out of the garden.

"Are you two girls done gossiping?" asked Elijah

"Christina, it's time to leave!" Mel shouted.

"On my way! Do I look okay, Merle? No dirt on the dress? I really shouldn't have come out in this dress, it's the one I'm wearing to go to Asturia."

"No, it looks fine. Hitomi would wear that one for important gatherings, too. Van had found a way to have her visit for the six months before her death."

"You mourned for her, too, didn't you?"

"Yes. I didn't like the fact that Van wanted her instead of me, but she was very nice. I better go get ready, I'm going back to Adom. See you when you get back!"  
"Bye, Merle."  
Christina went into the castle, to see Van waiting at the front door, but Mélanie and Elijah were nowhere in sight.  
"Mel and Elijah are already in the transport. The bags have been sent there, too. I came up with a story if anyone asks about your short hair: You were sick and had a bad fever, which resulted in your hair being cut so that it wouldn't be too heavy and make you perspire too much."  
"Sound good."  
"I'll tyr to think of a name between here and there. You'll know it because I'll use it to introduce you to the others." Christina nodded in agreement.  
She walked up to Van, and put an arm around the one he was offering.


	4. The Phoenix Guardian

A/N: I love getting reviews! It's so encouraging!

Sakura Shinguji-Albatou: You hate Van for killing the Ryuugekitai. I guess that's understandable. Yes, Dilandau will be appearing here, but not in a way anyone might expect!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people or places mentioned, except for Elijah, Mel, and Christina. Well, sorta. Christina is a Mary-Sue of me, Mel is a Mary-Sue of my friend, and while I had the idea of putting a relationship for Mel and someone else, she came up with his cross-dressing, blue hair, and name.

* * *

A few hours later, when they arrived in Asturia, Mel was amazed. So many people. It was amazing. It was like a dream city. As they pulled up to the palace, Mel poked Christina awake.  
"Hrm? What?"  
"We're he-ere."  
"Huh? Oh!"  
She quickly got up and looked out the window at the palace. It was beautiful, but there was something about the one in Fanelia that was better than this one. She didn't know what. She just liked it better.  
  
The transport stopped, Van stepped out and held his hand out to help Christina get down. Elijah did the same for Mélanie.  
Queen Millerna and King Dryden were waiting to greet their guests, and at their sides were knights Allen and Serena. Van remembered the day that happened all too well. Though Serena was a girl, she had such superb fighting skill that Millerna had accepted Allen's request at making her part of the royal guard. Now that Zaibach had loste their grip on her, Van had become good friends with her, and almost felt like she was the sister he never had.  
  
Queen Millerna watched Van approach and was puzzled to see him escorting a short-haired girl by the arm. She leaned toward her husband's ear.  
"Dryden, do you think that girl might be from the Mystic Moon?"  
"Not all short-haired girls are from the Mystic Moon, Millerna. There could be a number of reasons for her having short hair."  
"You're right, just wishfull thinking, I guess. I was so shocked when Hitomi died, she was such a kind girl."  
"Yes, but right now, we have to smile and look like we don't have a care in the world."  
"Yes, the boring part."  
As Van and Elijah walked up the stairs with their 'guests of accompaniement', they bowed and curtsied before their hosts.  
"Welcome! Thank you so much for coming to Asturia. We hope you enjoy your stay in Palas."  
"It is we who thank you for your gracious invitation. You have already met Elijah Esteban Lowell, from Senik, this is lady, also from Senik, her name is Mélanie. My lady is Michia. She is from the far east, and I will go further into depth on her background later."  
As he said that she was from the east, he winked at Allen. Allen understood. He had said that hitomi was from the east when Dilandau had asked about where she was from 3 years ago at Allen's castle. Queen Millerna clearly realised something was going on, so she made haste to invite them inside.  
"We shall first go to the study," she said "So we may catch up on old times."  
Once in the study(more spacious yet less cosy than the one in Fanelia), she dismissed any guards and ladies of the court, and bade her guests to sit.  
"Now, Van. What's going on?"  
Allen let loose a small smile.  
"The two ladies with him and Elijah are not from here or from Elijah's planet. They are from the Mystic Moon."  
"What?"  
"Yes." said Van "This is Christina, however this one's name really is Mélanie. They appeared in the lake. Christina nearly drowned. I couldn't just leave them at my castle, and I thought you might like to meet them."  
"Well, why didn't you just use the energist to send them back?"  
Van figured he might as well voice his concern at last.  
"I'm not sure if the energist will work to send them back. Hitomi seemed to be a special case, but I'm not sure if it will apply to them. They could end up anywhere."  
"May I make a suggestion?"  
Everyone turned to Elijah.  
"When I return to my planet, I could take them with me and arrange tranportation to bring them back to earth."  
Everyone looked thoughtfull. Allen looked confused.  
"Why can't you bring them back before returning to your planet?"  
"Well, that's because of our enemy problem. I'm sure you are all aware that though Zaibach has left you pretty much in peace, they haven't been the friendliest people to us. If I go to earth with them before returning home, Zaibach might think we're up to something. However, I could go straight home, get a smaller ship that won't be noticed as much by their sensors, and come in from the part of earth furthest away from gaea. However, earth does have sattelite technology advanced enough that they'd pick us up if we stay in the atmosphere too long. We'd have to wait for a time when gaea is facing the part of the earth furthest away from the girls' country, so that we won't have to stay too long. Well, what do you think?"  
"I think it's the best plan we've got." Everyone turned to Mélanie as she spoke.  
After a prolonged silence, Queen Millerna spoke up.  
"Well, if both the girls are in agreement, then that would close the discussion. Christina?"  
Christina nodded. It sounded like a plan that could work.  
"We'll just have you shown to your rooms so that you may rest for a bit and freshen up before tonight's ball and dinner." said Millerna at last.

Christina woke up from her nap. Millerna said she would help her and Mélanie pick out perfect outfits for the occasion, so Christina sat on the edge of the bed and waited.  
Mélanie was woken up by a knocking on her door, and someone coming in, smiling at her.  
"Sorry to wake you, Mélanie-sama. But Queen Millerna says that you and Michia-sama are to go to her room where she will have dresses for you to wear at the ball."  
Mélanie's brain was operating in slow as she had just woken up, and she was about to ask who the hell was Michia when she remembered where she was. Michia was Christina's alias, and Queen Millerna obviously found it nescessary not to tell any of her servants the truth about where Christina and Mélanie were from.  
"Okay, I'm getting up."  
The smiling girl led Mélanie down the hall to Christina's room, knocked, and opened it.  
"Michia-sama. Her majesty Millerna requests both you and Mélanie-sama to her room immediately to try on some dresses for the ball tonight."  
"On my way."  
Christina came out of the room and both girls followed the smiling girl down the hall to a set of stairs. Leading the way upward, the servant brought them to the floor above, and down a hall straight to a pair of large double-doors.  
Millerna is at the entrance of a giant walk-in closet, and greets the girls enthusiastically.  
"Oh, hello! Come in, come in!"  
"Hello, Milady." Mel says back.  
"Greetings, Milady" replies Christina with a slight bow.  
"Pardon me, milady," Mel says with some uncertainty "but...I have a question."  
"Yes? What would it be?"  
"Forgive my rudeness, but what's wrong with the dresses we have already?"  
Millerna seems to ponder for a moment, then turns to the servant girl.  
"Seekya, leave us please."  
Seekya turns around and exits the room, closing the doors behind her.  
"Well, I went through the dresses you brought with you, and am sorry to say that, considering the fact that we have guests from Zaibach visiting, we will have to find you something better, because the dresses that were made for Hitomi were from two years ago, and fashions have changed slightly. We want to make sure that you're not out of place in the slightest. In fact, Chris- sorry, Michia, we'll have to fix your hair so that it doesn't show to be short."  
Christina looked a little startled.  
"Oh. Ok. I guess."  
"In other words," added Mel "we need better dresses. But I have to present myself as a Senikan like Elijah, correct? Did Hitomi have a Senikan dress?"  
Millerna looked thoughtful  
"I...do have one that she wore once in a gathering..."  
"Senikan dress..." said Mel, seeming to be in a dreamy state "I wonder how it looks?"  
Millerna walks into closet, and walks out a minute later with two dresses. One is a silky pink, in the Senikan style, the other a rich, velvety blue in a Gaean style.  
"Oh..." Mel grabs takes the pink one "It's... oh, I'm speechless...Elijah will love me in this..."  
"Mel and Elijah in a tree," Chris whispers behind Mel's back "k-i-s-s-i-n-g..."  
"Actually, it would be F-r-e-n-c-h-k-i-s-s-i-n-g." corrects Mel.  
Millerna raises a quizzical brow as she hands the blue dress to Christina, and Chris breaks the awkward silence.  
"um, where would I go change?"  
"Are you blind," inquires Mel "that you can't see the changing room in your face?"  
"Oops." Christina says awkwardly, and blushes "I'll be right back."  
"Seekya!" Millerna calls "you may come back now."  
Once Seekya re-enters the room, Millerna gestures towards Christina.  
"Could you help Michia?"  
"Of course, Milady." "Help?" asks Christina "with what?" "With the dress, of course." Christina blushes again.  
"Okay." Christina goes into change room followed by Seekya  
"_Kekeke...Poor you..._"  
"Mel?" asks Millerna "If you would follow me into the bathroom, I will help you get into your dress."  
"Of course..._Woah. Are Senikan Princesses that pampered?_  
Later, both girls are in their new dresses, and Millerna has changed as well. Mélanie looks in a full-length mirror.  
"I hope Elijah won't try and do something unprincly to me when I am in this dress..."  
_"Mind talking a little louder Mel?"_ inquired Christina telepathically _"I'm not sure if Millerna heard you correctly. By the way, in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm. Meaning we have to behave like princesses and talk like them too, so cut down on the dirty talk."_  
Millerna leads the way upstairs to the main hall where Serena, Allen, Van, Elijah and Dryden are waiting. Elijah's eyes widen when he sees Mélanie.  
"Milady Mélanie...your presence is as if the planet has stop turning to gaze upon you."  
Mélanie surpresses a giggle, then each man offers their arm to their lady (minus Allen, he and Serena are bodyguards), and they walk into the ballroom.  
"I see it is a very special occasion today." says Mélanie, trying desperately to start a conversation.  
Elijah's face takes on a sombre look and explains.  
"The current leader of Zaibach is here tonight as an honoured guest because tomorrow he is going to discuss non-agression treaties with me. I wouldn't trust him though. I wouldn't be surprised if his terms are completely unacceptable."  
"Why the treaties?" asks Christina  
"The Senikans are in desperate needs of energy to revive the lost King of Senik, Marth. He is Elijah's ancestor."  
"Marth?" Mélanie thinks for a moment _Haven't I heard of him before?_  
Elijah makes a semi-grab movement on Mel's butt and explains.  
"He helped greatly in the wars of Caelin. I'll tell you all about it later."  
"How interesting. I haven't learn about Caelin in years."  
Elijah raises an eyebrow.  
"You mean you've heard of Caelin?"  
"Well, yes. I've read some of the latest technology made in Caelin."  
"Oh. I see."  
"Well? Shall we dance?"  
Elijah smiles.  
"I thought you'd never ask."  
Elijah takes Mel's right hand in his left, and places his right hand a little lower than he should, while leading her in a revolving dance across the floor.  
Mélanie pressed her head on Elijah's chest.  
"Elijah...May this dance last a life time!"  
Van clears his throat uncomfortably.  
"Well...shall we imitate them?"  
"Of course." Christina replies.  
She places her hand in his, and he gets in a similar position to Elijha, except that he behaves a little more princely and simply has his hand on the small of her back.  
"The stars are shining for us, so the dragons may not harm this world." Mel says, as though reciting a poem.  
"You did know that Van, being a Draconian, is of the Dragon people, right?" Elijah says in her ear.  
"Mamkutes are not like the dragons I speak of. Draconians, half-dragons...they understand humans. Not like the ones I have spoken of."  
"Um... let's just dance. You can explain all of this to me later."  
"Well...I need some time alone. Just...to get this all together of what is happening right now."  
"I can't let you go off on your own. There's the danger of Gecko men." "Huh?" Mel thought she heard something, then she hears it again, more clearly, and saw a brief image of a knight standing on the balcony.  
_Mélanie..._  
"Elijah, did you see what I saw?" Mel asks as she forces Elijah to stop revolving.  
"What did you see?"  
"I saw a knight there! On the balcony...he spoke to me...did you see him?"  
Elijah looks at her worriedly.  
"I think you're a little stressed. Let's get you a drink to help you unwind."  
_Saine_ "I believe you're right. Perhaps I am simply imagining things..."  
Elijah leads her to a seat, and grabs her a glass of champagne from a passing caterer.  
"Thank you." she says after a sip. "But I must say, that knight reminded me of...you."  
"You might wanna talk about this later when we can be alone. People might hear and get the wrong idea."  
"Hmmm...perhaps." and she sips her champagne silently, while thinking. _Who was he? He was so...dashing. Like a Prince, or a King._  
Then, when she looks at Elijah again, she is shocked by what she sees.  
"Elijah? You look very pale."  
"Just a little tired, I guess." and he grabs another glass of champagne from another caterer and tries to drink it slowly.  
"Hmmm..."  
_I hope she's not refering to Him..._ thinks Elijah. _Marth, my Lord...what do you see in this girl?_  
"Elijah, excuse me, but I'm going to get some air on the balcony, and I'd rather be alone."  
Mélanie rises and goes to the balcony, mercifully devoid of anyone else, and sits on a bench in the far end of it, trying not to be seen by anyone inside the ballroom.  
_Saine..._  
"Who are you?" Mélanie asks.  
_Saine..._  
"Saine? Is that your name?"  
_No._ Then the image of the knight appears again. _I am Marth Lowell._  
"Marth...Lowell? Are you Elijah's ancestor?"  
_Elijah... yes. I am his ancestor._  
"You are? ...How can you speak to me?"  
_You are the Pheonix Guardian. You will aid the Tsubasa no Kami when her strength wavers._  
"Phoenix Guardian?" Mélanie's eye begin to glow amber "Is that...Saine?"  
_Yes._  
_Marth-sama..." her eyes are now pupilless and red "Where are you?"  
In the spirit world._

_

* * *

_

A/N: The reason these chapters appeared so fast is because I already had them written down somewhere. I just had to seperate them into chapters to post them here. But now you'll have to wait a tad longer for the chapter 5.

OMG! I have a cliff hanger! Mel is the Phoenix Guardian. But how can she help the Tsubasa no Kami? Where/who is the Tsubasa no Kami? I don't know if it's obvious or not. Why does Marth need to be revived? Will Van and/or Elijah and/or any other male character be getting more buckets of cold water from Sakura? Will my brother stop poking me in the back with his toy Zubat? You'll have to wait till next chapter!


	5. A few revelations

A/N: Yay! Chapter 5!

Sakura Shinguji-Albatou: Well, you'll be very happy with this chapter, Sakura!

strangedream: Actually, the question wasn't random at all. I fixed chapter 2, so now you can know what Elijah is wearing. Like I said in my review of your story: try to think of why Hitomi's soul entered Christina instead of going to heaven or something.

Lady of the Unicorn: Very interesting. You stories, I mean. Pluto is not the world Elijah is from. I guess I wasn't specific enough. whacks head Bad Christina! Bad Christina!

ReddAlice: I hope this is a little more spaced out. I also hope it gets your attention!

KNS ): thank you very much! As I told you in e-mail, you were right about who the Tsubasa no Kami is. Congratulations!

* * *

"_The Spirit World? But..."  
_Suddenly, her eyes stopped glowing, and Marth disappeared.  
_What isa Tsubasa no Kami? This is weird.  
_Mel set off to find Elijah again, when a man she had never met before suddenly blocked her path, took her right hand, and placed his on the small of her back, and started dancing with her. 

"Who are you?" Mel asked, following his lead trying not to be rude.

"Who I am is not important." he spoke with an accent that sounded like a mix of Russian and Mexican, yet a slightly reedy voice. His hair had an odd greenish tint to it, as was his goatee. He had a deep, imposing-looking red cloak draped on his shoulders, and a black turban obscuring his right eye.

"Who _you_ are, however, is important. And I know that you are one of the Phoenix Guardians."

"How do you know that?" asked Mel, trying but failing to keep the sense of alarm out of her voice.

"I saw you on the balcony. It seemed as though you were delusional, talking to no one in particular, when your eyes started glowing. I knew at once what you are, and now you must tell me where to find the Tsubasa no Kami."

Mélanie tried and failed to get away from him. She didn't want to start a panic, but her was holding her tightly.

"I don't know who the Tsubasa no Kami is. Please, let go. You're hurting me."

He let her go, and Mel saw a ring with a pink stone on his middle finger start to glow.

_Just like Christina's locket!_

The man hurried off, and Mélanie lost sight of him in the crowd.

_Like Christina's locket... is it possible..?_

She set off as well, determined to locate Christina as quickly as possible.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christina felt a little light-headed after the dance. Van had spun her around a little too much.

"Chris-" he stopped, cleared his throat, and started again. "Michia, the stone on your locket is glowing."

Christina looked down, and saw that it was glowing obviously, even in the brightly lit ballroom.

She quickly covered it with one hand.

"Could we sit down somewhere, please?" she asked

"No problem." He led her to a seat, when Mélanie came up to them.

"Chr-, sorry. Michia, I _really_ need to talk to you."

"Um, now would not be a good time." said Van, as one of the brass instrument players did a deep sort of toot-toot-toot, sounding like a foghorn, except in shorter bursts.

"That's the signal for supper. Mel? You better find Elijah."

As he led Christina toward the next room, Elijah tapped Mel's shoulder, offered his arm to her, and led her along behind Van and Christina.

Christina couldn't help feel slightly intimidated being surrounded by all the important delegates and rulers from different countries throughout Gaea, but she kept her head erect and tried to look as though she hadn't a care in the world.

Mel felt small compared to all these people, yet her newfound discovery as the Phoenix Guardian made her suspicious of every person. She held Elijah like a possessive stalker.

"Mel? You seem tense. Are you alright?"

Mel snapped from her thoughts and looked up at Elijah. She smiled, and put her head on his arm.

"Yes, precious."

"Not here Mel. As much as I'd like to be fondling you right now, we have to act formal."

Mel withdrew her head and straightened up. "Sorry."

"It's alright." he replied, then said with a small smile "We can do touchy stuff later. If you're not too tired after this."

"Bet you I will be."

"It's ok. I'll do the action."

"Elijah? Shouldn't we eat now?" Mel said quickly, realizing where this was going. It was obvious he was just joking, but still!

_He can act so un-princely at times!_

Elijah cleared throat and said "Of course." then led her to a chair close to the head of the table, and pulled it out for her to sit on.

Mel and Christina were on opposite sides of the table, Christina being next to Van, but their newfound ability of telepathy made it no problem.

_"I used to be happy when I'd see a fire truck!"_ Christina said to Mel

_"Me too. Now we're surrounded by royalty and important politicians!"_

_"When we get back to earth, life is gonna be BORING!"  
_The man who had frightened Mélanie earlier got up to speak, and Mélanie gave Christina a quick telepathic recap of her experience with him, before he delivered his speech.  
"On behalf of the Zaibach empire, may I personally thank our hosts, Queen Millerna and King Dryden, for hosting our discussions with the leader of Senik."  
Everyone clapped politely as he sat down, though it was obvious that some did it only half-heartedly.  
Christina disliked him on principle. He gave her the creeps. And it wasn't just what Mélanie had said. He was just plain eerie.  
The dishes were good, but Christina silently agreed to herself that Fanelia's food was more appetizing.  
There were branches on conversation going on all over the table, and Christina listened atentively.  
"I think it'll be wonderful if Zaibach and Senik reach an agreement." a man on Christina's left said "We'll finally all be together rather than most of Gaea with Senik and one country against. It makes us all so divided.  
"Yes, but to Zaibach, this may just be an opportunity." someone across from the man responded "What if they make it seem like Senik has no choice? I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to get what they want via veiled threats."  
"Don't start trouble _here_." a woman to the second man's left chimed in "We're supposed to be welcoming Senik and hoping for the best."  
After everyone had finished their meals, and desert was served (a mildly minty green stuff, which seemed a lot like ice-cream), Christina shut herself off mentally. The conversations she heard were all pretty much the same. Some people were happy that the treaties were taking place, others worried. And all of this had Christina worried, as well. When the dishes were cleared, Dryden got up to speak.  
"Well, everyone: party over. The treaty discussions will take place tomorrow at 11:00. I sincerely hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and that you all sleep comfortably. Good night, to all."  
Van helped Christina up, and offered his arm to hold on to.  
"Are you alright, Michia? You seem a little pale."

"It's..." she sighed "I heard people talking up and down the table about the treaties, and I'm worried."

He held her a little closer.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

"Michia? May I speak with you?" Christina and Van turned to see Serena looking at Christina expectantly  
"I'll leave you ladies to chat." Christina saw Van's face take a sombre expression as he left. She cocked an eyebrow in a Spock-like manner, and turned back to Serena.  
"What did you wish to speak to me about?"  
"Not here. I don't want any unwanted parties listening--." she broke off as the turbaned man from Zaibach passed by.  
"You see what I mean?"  
"Alright." Christina responded.  
Serena led her to a small room a small jog down the hall, and locked the door.  
"Christina..." Serena seemed to be having trouble articulating herself "Hitomi could read the future with a deck of... I think they were called Tarot cards. I was just wondering if you could see the future, too."  
"Well... I have a deck of Tarot cards. They're not with me though. They're in my room."  
"Could you do a reading tomorrow? I'm just so worried about the treaties, and I felt like you're the only one I could talk to. I know you're not Hitomi, but I always used to confide in her, and I felt the same sisterly inclination to you that I felt towards her."  
"Well, Mélanie always says I'm a good listener. If you ever want to talk, it's no problem."  
"Thank you. I'll escort you to your room, now."  
When they got out of the little room, the halls were dark and deserted. As she started toward her room, Christina felt her fear of darkness creep in, until she remembered that Serena was with her. Being with people in the dark, so long as she knew she could trust them, and she felt a positive aura from Serena.  
"Serena, can you tell me something?"  
"Sure."  
"Why do you think Van didn't look too happy at leaving me alone with you?"  
"Oh, I don't think it was you being alone with me. Van and I have become very good friends. I think he's probably just worried about us being the last two heading for bed. He's probably worried about Gecko men. Even with me to help, if they're a large enough number if they attack us, they could overpower us easily enough. Gecko men are surprisingly strong."  
"Oh." Christina said, ever so slightly shaky.

"Don't worry. It's not like the number of kidnappings by Gecko men has increased or anything. It's just that Hitomi got caught by them once."  
"Oh. Okay." Feeling a little more reassured.

"I got face to face with one once. I fought back really hard, it pissed him off so bad he figured he'd rather kill me. He pulled a knife on me. I tried to move it so that it wouldn't be pointing toward me, and the next thing I knew; He was lying on the ground, the knife in between his ribs, a pool of blood forming around him."

Christina held her tongue. Where was Serena going with all of this?

"I wish I could say he was the first man I killed, but he's not. Before Zaibach was taking over, they had kidnapped me as a child. Turned me into a boy. When they started taking over, I was the commander of a regiment known as the Ryuugekitai: The Dragonslayers. Dliandau was my name, then. Dilandau Albatou. I killed a lot of people. It's left scars."

They turned left, and Christina started feeling better. _Just a bit more of a jog, and I can sleep._ She just realised how tired she felt.

"Mental ones, mind you. I haven't been able to find any physical ones. I used to have one on my cheek, but seems to be gone. Van's glad that it went away. He's the one who made it. I really feel ashamed about those days."

"You shouldn't. It wasn't your fault."

"I know. But..." She stopped. Christina stopped accordingly.

"But?"

"Shush a moment."

Christina perked her ears. Footsteps. Very close. Serena put her hand on the hilt of her sword, at full attention. Someone grabbed her from behind, quickly disarming her and placing a hand on her mouth. Before Christina could react, she felt an arm press hers unmoving at her side, and a hand close on her mouth. The hand was slightly clammy, and felt almost like scales.  
Another figure stepped between Christina and Serena. Christina could barely make him out. She could see him turn toward Serena, reach toward her, and then Serena's figure went limp in her captor's arms.  
The man between them stepped toward Christina, and she felt a prick sensation on her arm. Then, she was floating away...  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"They're still asleep, sir."  
"Can you wake them?"  
"Hang on. The blonde one has started struggling against her ropes."  
"And the other one? The one we need?"  
"She should be waking soon."

Christina opened her eyes.  
Looking up, she saw a boy standing over her. Christina gasped. While he was obviously male, he resembled Serena in so many ways. The hair, though grey instead of blonde, fell the same way. the face seemed almost the same shape. The eyes were exactly the same, except that instead of being blue, they were red. He was wearing a golden tiara with a purple jewel set in the middle. Another difference between him and Serena was that, while Serena's skin had a healthy, light tan to it, the boy's skin seemed a slightly sickly pale complexion.

"Well, now." said the boy in a very boy-ish voice. Christina had expected his voice to be deeper, more mature. He was certainly tall enough for one.

"You, we had expected to get. It seems we have your blonde friend to contend with as well. After all, she couldn't have just been left there to alert the others of your disappearance prematurely. They should find that out when they wake up in the morning. However, she's not of any use now." he withdrew his sword.

Christina, realising what the boy was about to do, yelled.  
"NO!!!"

At the moment she yelled, several things happened very fast:  
With the slight smell of smoke, her ropes broke, and, when she held her hand up to grab the boy's arm that was holding the sword, he was blasted backwards on his feet.  
The same thing happened to the one soldier that was with him when Christina merely glanced at him.  
Utterly confused, but taking advantage of the opportunity, Christina untied Serena, who immediately stood on her feet, at full attention once again.

"I don't have my sword, but if you can do some more of what you just did, we should be okay."

"I...I'll try... I didn't know I could..." she felt a wave of dizziness. "Oh... I think I'm going to faint..."

"Oh, no you don't!" Serena grabbed her by the shoulders "You stay on your feet. We have to find a way out of here, now. If Zaibach is up to it's old tricks again, then we have to tell the others. Understood?"

Christina swallowed. Serena had shaken most of the cobwebs from her head.  
"Understood. But, how do you know it's Zaibach?"

"Because she recognised me." The boy got up, though, thankfully, he was unarmed.

Turning her eyes beside her and Serena, opposite the boy, she saw the boy's sword lying on the floor, not far from where the boy had been standing before he went flying accross the room.

"Recognised you?" Christina asked, right before realisation entered her mind.

"Yes. I am Dilandau Albatou. Now then. What ever are we going to do about the two of you, as it is quite obvious you will not allow me to kill your friend?" as he said this, he crossed his arms , except that one hand was raised to stroke his right cheek, as though thoughtfully.

Christina was quite sure he muttered something that sounded like 'chiku, chiku, chiku.' Whatever _that_ meant.  
Then Dilandau's fellow soldier got up, and began to move behind them.  
As though struck by an instinct she never knew she could have, Christina's eyes began to glow blue, and the two soldiers bodies jolted as though electrocuted, then fell unconcious on the spot.  
Then the door simply blasted open, as though of it's own accord.

"This is our chance." said Serena "Let's go!"

Christina followed her out of the room they were in, and saw that they were in dungeons of some sort.  
"We have to get to a window where we can see where we are." Serena deducted.  
Moving throughout the corridor, they eventually ran into more guards. Christina's eyes flashed blue, and repeated what she had done to Dilandau and the soldier. And not a moment too soon, as she and Serena heard yells from behind them, and, when they turned, they saw Dilandau and his accompanying soldier racing towards them, swords pulled. Christina tried to render them unconscious again, but nothing happened.  
Her eyes would not flash blue, and Dilandau just kept running toward her.  
Suddenly, she felt darkness melt the images around her.

* * *

"Christina!"  
Serena Schezar caught the girl before she fell to the ground.  
"Come on, Christina! Wake up!" as the boy who had haunted her dreams for the past three years drew closer, Serena had to make a decision. 

It was obvious that Christina would not wake up fast enough, or if she did, she probably wouldn't be able to run. Serena slung Christina over her left shoulder, and stooped to pick up a sword from a fallen soldier.  
Then she ran.

Finally reaching a staircase, she managed to keep her balance as she ran up two at a time. Reaching another deck, she momentarily deposited Christina on to the floor.

Using her sword with practiced precision, Serena hit coming soldiers in various places on their bodies. All painful, but wounds they could be saved from.

Hearing Dilandau's yells of "Don't let them get away!" coming closer, and seeing that there were no soldiers in her immediate path, Serena placed the sword in her sword-sheath, and picked up Christina once more.

There was a large window to her left as she ran, and Serena saw that they must be in a floating fortress.

She could see they were still in Asturia, so it must have been the same one that had carried the diplomat Lagren. Boy, was she gonna have a score to settle with that guy.  
Coming here under false pretences, and then arranging kidnap.

"Stop right here." Serena heard Christina's voice.

Serena stopped, and placed Christina on her feet.

Christina's eyes were glowing a blue so bright it was obscuring the darkness around them.  
Christina turned toward the window, and a large part of it broke. Large enough for them to leave through, if there wasn't too much space between them and the ground.

"Hold onto me, Serena Schezar. For your life."  
Christina spoke in a musical voice. So soft, so beautiful.

Serena didn't know why she listened, but she stood in front of Christina, and put her arms around her shoulders.  
Christina grabbed Serena's legs, and placed them around her own waist. Then, she ran and jumped out the window.  
Serena waited for them to fall, but they only fell a small way, before Serena saw white wings erupt from Christina's back, and began to flap.

They fell very gradually as they neared the palace, and landed softly on the roof.  
Serena got off Christina quickly, and just in time, as Christina fell forward. Unconscious once more. Her wings retracted automatically, and Serena picked her up, holding her like she was a baby.

Serena carried Christina down the stairs that led from the roof to the top floor. She could hear a lot of commotion.  
Finally reaching the second floor where the guestrooms were, Serena saw a lot of people, running about in all sorts of undress. She finally saw her brother, and called out.  
"Allen!"  
"Serena! Thank the stars!" Allen ran toward her, still in his armour, Van just behind in his bathrobe.  
"What happened? Van got worried when Christina didn't come to bed, that he went to look for her, and he couldn't find either of you, so he went to talk to Millerna, and, before you know it, everyone's looking for you two!"  
"I'll explain later, Allen. But everyone in 'our group' should hear it."  
"Christina! Is she okay? What's wrong with her?"  
"I think she's just tired, Van. I'll explain everything tomorrow."

* * *

Serena place Christina in Van's arms, who carried her immediately toward the room they were sharing, when he got halted by Mélanie and Elijah's arrival.  
"Thank god!" Mélanie yelled "Where was she? What happened?"  
"Serena knows. She said she'll explain to us all tomorrow."  
"Well, it'll have to be after the treaties." Elijah yawned "I can't risk being late. I'm liable to sleep in unintentionally after this fiasco. The important thing is that we know where she is now, and that she's safe." 

Christina had a very strange dream. The girl she had seen before coming to Gaea, whom she was almost certain was Hitomi, came to her.  
"Christina. You must save the three worlds, and bring me back to Van."  
"How? I don't understand."  
"The powers you discovered tonight will increase and grow more powerful."  
"But where do these powers come from? What am I?"  
_"The Tusbasa no Kami..."

* * *

_

A/N: Whoa. Cliffhanger again. But at least you know who the Tusbasa no Kami is. FINALLY! 


	6. A funny break

A/N: YAY! Chapter 6! I must thank Maelik and Mel for their help at getting this one up so quickly. This chapter is mostly on the Zaibach floating fortress among Zaibach soldiers, and has a lot of comic relief.

Sakura Shinguji-Albatou: This one oughta answer questions and end confusion.

strangedream: Same thing. And we'll be seeing a bit of Mélanie's powers now.

Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne or adjacent characters except for a few new ones. I don't even have the DVD's! WHAAH!!!

* * *

Kileam sat on the window sill, cleaning her nails with her dagger. Her brown hair with blue streaks fell to her shoulders,  
and her armour made her look as powerful as she felt. It was red with a breast plate, and conformed to her figure.  
Her eyes were a glowing gold, matching the golden band around her head, with an upside-down cross made of red stone  
as the centrepiece. 

"It wasn't my fault sir." she heard Dilandau say to Lord Lagren.

"Sure, it wasn't your fault, Dilly. It must be very difficult to hang on to a girl with no combat experience."

"First of all, Kileam: Serena was there. She DOES have combat experience. Secondly: Christina, despite her  
lack of combat experience, is the Tsubasa no Kami, and therefore has an advantage over us. Third!: Don't. Call. Me. Dilly!"

"Well, if you had agreed to let me help, it wouldn't have been a problem." Kileam responded, sounding utterly amused.  
"Everyone knows that, unlike you, I don't let my ego get in the way of my work. I get to the heart of the matter. Dilly-_poo._"

"Grr..." Dilandau pulled his sword, but Kileam was faster.  
She blasted him backwards off his feet.  
He got up, tried to charge at her again, but both of them got pinned to opposite walls.

"That is enough, both of you." said Lord Lagren with a quiet, but deadly sounding voice.

Kileam could feel an invisible hand squeezing her throat.

"You are the best soldiers ever to serve with the mighty Zaibach empire, and I expect you to set an example for your fellows.  
_Is that understood?_" he said the last words with angry venom in his voice.

"Yes, Lord Lagren." Kileam managed to choke out. From across the room, she heard Dilandau do the same.

The invisible hand let go, and she fell on the floor, already standing up.

Dilandau finished his report, explaining to Lord Lagren, as best he could, what had happened with the night's fiasco.

Later, walking down the hall, Kileam placed herself behind Dilandau, and returned to her favourite pass-time of driving him further  
than he already was into insanity. Which, in this case, consisted of poking him.  
'poke poke poke poke'

"What?" asked Dilandau, obviously angry.

'poke poke poke poke'

"_What?"_ he said again, in a hissing manner

'poke poke poke poke'

"_WHAT!?"_ he said turning around, facing Kileam.

"When are you going to ask the Madoushi to make you a brother?" she asked pleasantly, continuing to poke him in the shoulder.

"What?" he asked, utterly confused.

"Didn't you know you could get a brother?" 'poke poke poke poke'

"What the heck are you talking about?" he said, withholding his anger for curiosity's sake.

"Didn't you know? You came from a tube." 'poke poke poke poke'

"A _tube?"_

"Yep. So did I. But, in a way, I came first." 'poke poke poke poke'

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Well, Serena _used_ to be you, up until Allen and company stole her back from Zaibach, and turned her back into the Blondie  
who escaped you tonight." 'poke poke poke poke' "But when Lord Lagren came along, he instructed the Madoushi to use a blood  
sample they took from her while she was you to make another you." 'poke poke poke poke' from Kileam, 'twitch twitch twitch twitch'  
from Dilandau.

"But first they took some of it," continued Kileam "along with some blood they had from a Draconian dude named Folken, and  
Lord Lagren used something called Quintessence on the mix. That's how they made me. That's why I'm not as wimpy as you."  
'poke poke poke poke'

"_QUIT POKING ME!!!" _Dilandau finally snapped and drew his sword.

Kileam, once again being faster than him, threw him against the wall, this time knocking the sword from his hand.

"I'd love to stay and chat all night, but I don't think Lord Lagren would appreciate it." She gave him a half-hearted hand up.  
"We'll finish this discussion some other time."

And she left him standing and fuming in the dark hallway.

The next day...

In the meeting room, Elijah and Lord Lagren are having a heated debate...  
"Come now, Lord Elijah. Archaeological expeditions are harmless, and a small price to pay for peace between our people and  
for us to give you energists for energy. We won't remove a single artefact we find. We simply wish to take a look around."

"Lord Lagren, as I stated before, it would be a problem, as you refuse to allow anyone from my excavation teams help you." Elijah combated  
"It has to be done in such a way that no damage will be done to any of the underground pipes and such which keep our domed  
cities intact and safe. Also, there are sites outside the domes in which we have already lost people and have therefore deemed dangerous.  
If you have a few of my people with you, they can guide you and point out the dangerous areas for you to avoid."

"Ah, but then, my dear Elijah, where would the excitement be in our discoveries if we're shown everything?"

"Lord Lagren!" Elijah got up, severely pissed "I am trying to be courteous, but, in all honesty--"

"Let us continue this another time." interrupted Millerna.

Elijah and Lagren exited to room, and Elijah went to the parlour with Millerna and Dryden where the others were waiting anxiously  
for Serena to explain the adventure of the night before.

"That _impossible,_ _stubborn,_ _craven cur!"_ hissed Elijah loudly as they entered the parlour.

"Oh, Elijah." Mélanie got up and threw her arms around him. "It pains me to see you so disturbed."

Elijah's features softened as he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Mélanie."

"Why would you absolutely need someone to escort them anyway, Elijah?" inquired Dryden.

"Because we're in the process of recruiting the Phoenix Guardians from all around to revive Marth. If we have a time limit, we  
may not be able to find them in time. We already found one in a statue which we brought into the palace, but there are five in all."

"I see." said Millerna

"This is very interesting," interrupted Van "But I'd like to hear about what happened last night." he turned to Serena "Serena? If you please?"

Serena explained everything. Every last detail, of what had happened the night before. when she was done, Van was the first to outburst,  
followed by Allen.

"That _bastard!"_ exclaimed Van, punching the wall, which resulted in little cracks.

"Wait a minute! How could Dilandau be there? Serena, you _were_ Dilandau!"

"I don't know. But he was there."

"He was." said Christina, finally speaking from her chair in the corner, where she had been since the beginning of the meeting. Just sitting  
and doing nothing in particular. Shut up in herself, it seemed.

A knock on the parlour door startled them, as Seekya walked in, carrying an envelope.

"My apologies about interrupting, milady. This is addressed to Elijah-san."

"Thank you, Seekya." replied Millerna as Elijah stepped forward to accept the letter.

"Athena! It must be important if she wrote this to me from home." He opened the envelope hastily.

"Athena?" asked Mélanie inquisitively

"My sister." he began to read aloud:

"_Dearest Elijah, _

How are you in Gaea? Good, I hope.  
The expedition to find the Phoenix Guardians has been proving fruitful.  
We found the first Guardian, the one of courage, deep in a cave at the mountain of the Ice Dragon.  
According to the local Ilians, he would be from the land of Caelin, there Thalie is a stewardess.  
If you're wondering, the fifth one, Lady Sheeda, expects her child (a boy) in about four months.  
We've decided not to let her out of the statue until receiving permission from you. We hope you'll say so soon.  
Mother still hasn't been over Father's death. We try our best to console her, but I guess his sudden odd  
behaviour caused him to do what he has done.  
Please don't feel guilty about it. It wasn't your fault.

I hope you bring us back some souvenirs!

Love,  
thena.

p.s. Shun-Netto burned Father's old bed with an Elfire spell.

Elfire!? I told them to lock those books away! Sheesh!" said Elijah, both pissed and exasperated.

"Who's Shun-Netto?"

"The only stable clone using DNA from a Gaean and combining it with DNA from a Senikan."

"Do you have pictures?"

"Well, just imagine Van as a child."

Everyone looks at Elijah with a WTF? look.

Mélanie takes the letter, but the instant she touches it, her immediate surroundings melt, and she finds herself in a cave instead.  
She saw young man in about his mid-twenties floating in a red bubble curled up in foetal position. His hair seemed to be orange,  
and his figure glowed a soft red. From the way his back was arched, it would seem that he had wings.  
She felt a sadness all of a sudden. She knew it was the man's sadness...

"Mélanie! Mélanie! Wake up!"

Mélanie opened her eyes. she was lying on the floor, with everyone standing around her, looking worried.

On the Zaibach fortress...

The new Ryuugekitai are in a locker room cleaning off.

"Man! Today's workout was _hard_!" whined Chomei as he stood still, enjoying the full blast of the hot shower.

"Tell me about it! With all the laps Dilandau-sama made us run and such." added Benkei

"Hey! Shut up you two! Dilandau-sama is in here, you know!" scolded Eichiro

Both swallowed hard and were about to apologise, but then the door of the locker room was kicked open. Kileam came in,  
surpressing a mischievious grin. All of the Ryuugekitai looked at her with wide eyes.

"Where's Dilandau?" she asked, finally letting her grin loose.

"What the heck are you doing in here?" hissed Dilandau, dripping wet and only covered with a towel around his waist.

"Looking for you, or course. I thought I'd give you a reminder that Lord Lagren wants us to train together later this evening." she said  
teasingly.

Dilandau glared daggers at her.

"As you indicated, it's this evening. Do you have no shame walking in here like this?"

Kileam looked around, watching all the Ryuugekitai trying to cover themselves up, then looked back at Dilandau.

"No. By the way: I love the attire."

Dilandau's eyes widened before narowing in anger. Kileam, aware of what was coming, started to run. Almost immediately,  
Dilandau was hot on her heels.

"Get back here, woman!"

"Gotta catch me first, nuddy!"

They ran around the fortress for about ten more minutes before Kileam entered a room and stopped. Dilandau also stopped,  
not sure what she was up to. Kileam turned around sharply and smiled, snapping her fingers. Dilandau frowned before the  
smell of smoke reached his nostrils. His eyes widened as he looked down, seeing that part of his towel was completely ablaze!  
He let it drop and, thankfully, Kileam put out the flames, once again showing off her powers.  
Kileam started laughing as she pointed at his nether regions.

"Make it dance, Dilly!"

Dilandau yelled and jumped at her. They didn't fall; Kileam's back being pressed against a railing. She pushed him back,  
but he took hold of her sleeve. They fought like this for a few minutes, when Lagren came in, eyes widening as he saw his  
two top soldiers fighting like children, one completely naked. He cleared his throat loudly and both stopped to look over at him.

"Why are you two fighting on the main bridge?" asked Lagren, obvious annoyance in his voice.

Dilandau looked around and went fully red as he finally took a good look at his surroundings, and went beet-red at everyone  
staring at them.  
Kileam sighed and took off her cloak, giving it to Dilandau, who took it hastily.

"Both of you," Lagren added, a hidden threat implied with his tone of voice "Get off the bridge, and don't come back until  
you are both completely calmed down."

Kileam dragged Dilandau off the bridge and down the hall.  
"Moron," she said "you could have noticed where we were sooner!"

"You were the one who tricked me, tramp." Dilandau responded icily

"So? I guess you are dumber than I thought!" she spat back with a grin

Dilandau just growled.

"Oh, and please don't do anything to my cloak. I'm absolutely certain white stains are a bitch to get out of from the frabrique."

"Is that all you think about, woman? Sex?"

"What else is there to think about at the moment? By the way," she added, pointing at his crotch again "They have surgery to fix that, you know."

"You b--!"

And the chase began again.

* * *

A/N: LMAOGBWKG! (laughing my a off and glueing back with Krazy Glue.)


	7. preview

Just to let you all know, after almost a year of not updating, I've got three chapters that I am working on simultaneously. They should be ready for posting in a couple of weeks. I am including chapter titles and brief overviews of what will happen:

Chapter 7: Zaibach time-jump. We will find out how Kileam knows about her origins. (just FYI, it's pronounced Kill-ee-ahm.) More about how the Ryuugekitai came to be re-formed and stuff.

Chapter 8: Tarot Readings and Faerie Dance. Christina reads the cards for Serena. Meanwhile, Mel and Elijah get very close in the gardens when something special happens (no sex! No sex will ever happen, no matter how close any of the characters get!)

Chapter 9: Christmas time, mistletoe and wine! Everything goes dandy until the night of December 26th (according to earth calendar, if anyone knows how to translate that into Gaea calendar, please e-mail me or post it in a review!) when Van gets drunk, and as Christina is the only one with him, she must be his emotional crutch, and she is herself on the verge of depression with all the weird stuff in her life (remember the way she was before she came to Gaea. Ouch).

See? I didn't abandon you guys!


	8. 7 Zaibach time warp

**A/N: I am SO sorry everybody! Gomen nasai everybody, REALLY! Here is chapter seven, finally, and eight will be coming up really soon, I promise.**

**And I know I had mentioned in an author note of mine that no sex would happen, but there is going to be a hint here. Thus my change of rating.

* * *

**

Kileam was sitting at the window, her mind drifting. She was watching the clouds turning orange with the setting sun.

Why didn't she ever run away? She wasn't forced to stay here, not anymore. Yet she felt like she had to. And Dilandau was the only outlet to keep her from truly going insane. She could be a little crazy at times, but when it came to getting a job done, she could do it. She wasn't always so free, though, and her life was even more of a living hell than it was now…

"No! I don't want to!" a twelve year-old Kileam was fighting against the bonds which Lagren had placed her in.

"You will not disobey me. I created you, I can destroy you just as easily."

Kileam felt him place the tip of his manhood at her entrance.

"Please, Lagren-sama, it hurts too much! Please!"

"It only hurts because you always fight too much. If you would relax for once," he added, breathing in her ear. "then it wouldn't hurt."

He got ready to begin the painful probing which he had been doing regularly since she was eleven, and Kileam pleaded again for him to stop.

"NO!"

Lagren was thrown backwards, slammed against the opposite wall, and fell into a crumpled heap on the floor. There was a smell of smoke, and the ropes holding Kileam let go.

Lagren laughed softly and got up, staring Kileam straight in the eye. Despite his laughter, Kileam could tell that he was scared.

"It would seem that your powers have surfaced after all. I was beginning to worry. It will be time to have you meet your co-commander. Get dressed, quickly!"

After Kileam was dressed (Lagren had merely lowered his pants, so he hadn't much to do), she was led to a sort of laboratory.

"You see, Kileam, you and the boys you have been training with form my special team of soldiers, called the Ryuugekitai. Once your training is complete, you will be the most powerful soldiers Zaibach has to offer. But you will have someone to lead with you. All of your decisions will be final, of course, but your other partner will have some say over how things are done during battles."

He led her to a back part of the lab where several Madoushi were gathered. Some turned as Lagren and Kileam approached, and one of them came forward, almost as though he was gliding on wheels, to greet them.

"Lagren-sama. I believe you will be most pleased. His growth rate has greatly accelerated and he is remaining stable. I believe he will be ready in two weeks' time."

"Excellent. I believe it is time for Kileam to see him."

"Of course."

The Madoushi lead the way and Kileam saw a giant glass cylinder filled with clear liquid. It seemed to be thicker than water, and many bubbles were floating all about a boy a bit smaller than her. He was curled in foetal position, and there was a tube which seemed to lead to his navel from the top of the tube. His hair looked to be silver.

"You were created in the same way, Kileam. Except in your case, we also used DNA from an ex-soldier of the empire. His name was Folken, and he was a Draconian. Mixing that with some quintessence gave you your powers. The boy you see before you is a clone from a girl who had been taken by the empire. She had been transformed into the boy you see before you, but she eventually regained her own self and escaped. This one is boy by nature, though he will have the same traits as when the other girl was here. When he is complete, he will be fifteen physically, which was the same as he was before. His name is Dilandau Albatou."

Kileam had many more questions, all of which Lagren answered willingly. As time went on, he no longer took her. He was afraid of what she might do. Yet she continually obeyed his other orders.

Fourteen year-old Kileam snapped out of her reverie.

_Time to move on._

They had to set the plan in motion to capture the Tsubasa no Kami.

* * *

**A/N: There. I hope it's a nice little chapter to make up for my long distance. Chapter eight in a week, I promise!**


End file.
